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    Home » Kitchen Tips » Freezer Cooking

    How to Freeze Lemons: Zest & Juice

    Published: Mar 17, 2020 · Modified: Jan 8, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    When life hands you lemons (or any kind of citrus), zest ’em, juice ’em, make all kinds of good things with ’em. Here’s how to freeze lemons: the zest and the juice.

    six meyer lemons on a blue checked cloth this …

    Once upon a time, I grew up in a fairytale castle with a golden tree growing in the backyard….

    Ok, so it wasn’t a castle, but gold really did grow in the backyard. Lemon gold. The lemon tree “came with the house,”and produced hundreds of lemons every year. 

    Lemons are different than their citrus cousins in that you don’t typically eat them fresh. Instead, you use them as garnish or take their zest and juice to enhance both savory and sweet recipes. They are flavoring, if you will.

    I learned pretty quickly that how to make the most of the treasure from the backyard. I taught myself to make Lemon Meringue Pie as well as Old-Fashioned Lemonade. But, one can only eat so much pie and drink so much lemonade.

    tray of cheesecake squares with fresh berries

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    Pictured: Honey Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe

    When you can’t use something up before it spoils, you have to find some way to preserve the harvest. And that’s where your freezer comes to the rescue. I have learned how to freeze yogurt, freeze vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and of course freeze berries.  So then it prompted the question…

    Can you freeze lemons?

    While it’s not recommended to freeze whole lemons, you can freeze both the zest and the juice as well as slices encased in ice cubes.

    When is lemon season?

    Lemon season starts in fall and continues into spring, so no matter where you live (north of the equator), you should be finding those beautiful yellow globes at a lower price than normal right about now.

    Stock up when you see a good sale (or get cozy with friends and neighbors with a backyard tree) and sock the extra away in the freezer.

    How to Freeze Lemons: Zest & Juice

    There are 3 easy ways to freeze lemons:

    1. Zest the fruit and freeze it.
    2. Juice the lemons and freeze the juice.
    3. Make lemon ice cubes!

    No matter the variety, I suggest these wonderfully freezer friendly options to freeze lemons or other citrus:

    zesting a lemon on a tray with a microplane

    Zest the citrus fruit.

    Lemon zest contains a huge amount of flavor. It’s the colorful, oily part of the fruit’s skin that imparts lemony flavor into baked goods and savory recipes.

    It’s best to zest the lemon before you juice it. However, as a kid I learned this the hard way. I also learned you can freeze the juiced half until firm and that will help you get the zest off if you did it backwards.

    How to zest lemons:

    1. Wash the lemons well.
    2. Scrape off the zest with a zester or microplane. Don’t go too deep, into the white, that is bitter.
    3. Store it in an airtight container in your freezer to use in recipes throughout the coming months. 

    You can do this for lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges, just store the different kinds of zest separately.

    lemon halves on cutting board near juicer

    Juice the citrus.

    Lemon juice freezes beautifully. I regularly keep containers of juice in my freezer to pull out whenever we have a craving for lemonade or need to make Medicine Ball Tea.

    1. Wash the lemons well.
    2. With a powered citrus juicer for citrus or a manual citrus juicer, juice the lemons.
    3. Freeze it in small containers for later use. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays, transfer the lemon cubes to another container or a ziploc bag and return it to the freezer.
    4. Store the lemon juice in the freezer until ready to use.
    lemon ice cubes in bag

    Make lemon ice cubes.

    You can freeze sliced lemons in water for the ideal infused spa water. The fruit flavors the water as the ice melts.

    Head here for how to make Lemon Ice Cubes.

    Best Lemon Recipes

    Use the lemon juice and/or zest in these good cheap eats:

    Lemon Herbed Vinaigrette

    Enjoy a bright and flavorful salad dressed with this homemade Lemon Herbed Vinaigrette. It mixes up in minutes and packs a punch with lemon, garlic, and herbs.

    Lemon Roasted Potatoes

    Stir up a pan of Lemon Roasted Potatoes for a bright and flavorful side dish. Enhanced with lemon zest, dill weed, and paprika, these spuds are spectacular!

    Lemon and Herb Rice Pilaf

    Ditch the expensive, boxed rice mixes for this easy homemade lemon and herb rice pilaf. You'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner.

    Baked Rice with Lemon and Thyme

    If you’re already heating the oven, slide in a pan of this easy baked rice for a great side dish. It’s practically hands-free and produces perfect rice.

    Herbed Lemon Linguine with Tomatoes

    Enjoy a quick and easy weeknight dinner that’s good enough for guests with this Herbed Lemon Linguine. It’s light and flavorful, a perfect meatless main.

    Make Lemon Cubes

    Preserve lemon or other citrus slices in ice for a deliciously cool addition to water. The fruit will infuse your water as the ice melts.

    Lemonade like Chick-Fil-A Makes

    Homemade lemonade tastes so much better than the frozen concentrate. This recipe is super simple and delicious.

    Strawberry Lemonade

    Enjoy the tastes of summer all year long in this Strawberry Lemonade. Whether the fruit is fresh or frozen, you'll be enjoying this delicious drink in just minutes.

    Lemon Blueberry Scones

    Tender scones are studded with blueberries and scented with lemon, making for an ultimate breakfast or tea time snack.

    Lemon Ginger Bars

    Lemon and ginger are perfect partners, especially when combined in a classic lemon bar. Bake a batch to eat now and one to freeze for later.

    Lemon Drop Scones

    Bake someone happy with these lemony drop scones. They are delicious, nutritious, and super easy to make.

    Lemon Walnut Coffeecake

    Fortified with whole wheat pastry flour and chopped nuts, this Lemon Walnut Coffeecake is just the thing to take the edge off a sweet tooth.

    Lemon Meringue Pie

    Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie is not complicated to make, but it feels like a million dollars. It’s tart and sweet, buttery and creamy, a perfect pie to celebrate a special occasion or enjoy any day.

    Lemon Buttercream Frosting

    Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. It’s bright and sunshiny and says, “Be happy.” It also tastes delicious in this luscious Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

    Lemon Meringue Cookies - Gluten and Dairy Free

    Bake up a batch of lemony, light, and fluffy clouds of meringue. These Lemon Meringue Cookies are a fun addition to your cookie plate.

    Easy Lemon Cupcakes Recipe

    These Easy Lemon Cupcakes may start with a box, but they get zing and zip from yogurt and lemon added to the mix. They are simple and delicious!

    Honey Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe

    Looking for a more wholesome sweet? Try these Honey Lemon Cheesecake Bars, naturally sweetened with honey, and packed with sweet-tart lemon flavor.

    Meyer Lemon Tea Muffins

    Tea, yogurt, and lemon zest add zip and zing and delicious lemon flavor to these muffins. Bake a basket to share with a friend.

    Frozen Lemonade

    This is a refreshing and easy dessert or cooler that you can whip up at a moment’s notice. No need for special equipment or long freezing times. As long as you have a sturdy blender, you can enjoy this frozen lemonade anytime.

    Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce & Cream Cheese

    Enjoy Gingerbread with lemon sauce and cream cheese. While the cake bakes, mix up the tasty toppings for a traditional dessert that can’t be beat.

    Mixed Berry Pie with Cinnamon and Lemon

    A mix of berries in the filling and cinnamon and lemon zest in the crust make for a practically perfect pie.

    What else can you freeze?

    • soups in plastic freezer containers
      20+ Best Freezer Soup Recipes
    • close up of bite of chicken enchilada on fork on plate of enchiladas.
      20+ Postpartum Freezer Meals the Whole Family Will Love
    • three freezer burritos wrapped in blue checked paper on black table.
      Freezer Lunch Meal Prep
    • five pound boxes of butter laid out on a black table.
      Can You Freeze Butter?
    « Bake Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s Day
    Can You Freeze Yogurt? »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amber B

      April 23, 2023 at 2:28 pm

      I freeze lemon juice and ice cube trays, but I didn’t know that you could freeze lemon zest too. I have a bag of lemons and I’m going to try that today.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 24, 2023 at 10:27 am

        Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    2. Margie

      September 11, 2019 at 9:56 am

      If your oven has a “proof” setting, you can spread the zest on parchment paper and set for an hour or so, when it is cooled, store in a spice jar. ?

      Reply
    3. Erika

      March 10, 2012 at 12:22 am

      Perfect timing! I just harvested a ‘kings ransom’ of limes from our tree in Maui! I was thinking about dehydrating the zest, but freezing it seems like a better option for on the fly baking. Thanks for the post! =)

      Reply
    4. Beth

      January 12, 2012 at 10:38 am

      Oh honey, Kansas City is hardly the frozen tundra. 🙂

      Reply
    5. Tammy @ Skinny Mom's Kitchen

      January 12, 2012 at 8:00 am

      I was so happy to see this post in my email this morning! I absolutely LOVE baking and cooking with lemons. My friends always joke with me and say “did you add lemon to it” 🙂 I submitted my Skinny Blueberry Lemon Muffins. They freezer perfectly too!

      Reply
    6. Dia

      January 12, 2012 at 6:58 am

      Oh, I am envious of the lemon tree. That would be so awesome compared to our pines!
      Thanks for the recipes, can’t wait to try them. I even found some Meyer lemons at Walmart recently that I get to try for the first time!

      Reply
    7. Wendy (The Local Cook)

      January 12, 2012 at 4:41 am

      Thanks for hosting! and for reminding me about the lime ginger marmalade recipe that I linked up. I really need to make that again. YUM!

      Reply
    8. Susie's Homemade

      January 12, 2012 at 4:28 am

      Great tips! Did you know that by just adding a slice of lemon to water at the dinner table helps in digestion? I love that tip:-)

      Reply
    9. Jen Blacker

      January 12, 2012 at 4:24 am

      Thank you for hosting. I shared my lemon pepper shrimp scampi. I don’t have it often due to the price of shrimp. It’s a treat.

      Reply
    10. Kristia {Family Balance Sheet}

      January 12, 2012 at 3:28 am

      WOW, I try not to get too jealous of other people, but to be able to have a lemon and/or lime trees in the back yard…I’m jealous. I live in PA and lemon trees just do not grow here. Oh the possibilities when you don’t have to pay the ridiculous price; they can be so expensive.

      I submitted a great grilling recipe: http://www.familybalancesheet.org/2010/07/grilled-garlic-lemon-shrimp.html

      Thanks for the linkup.

      Reply
    11. Kristin

      January 11, 2012 at 8:03 pm

      Why did I never think to freeze the zest ?!? Great tip!

      Reply

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    jessica from good cheap eats

    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

    More about me

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